About time, cause man I like the E46 better than E9X. E9X does not have the aggressive looks stock...And the 1 looks like a reatrded dog lol...But I do like them cause their nice parts and what not for them...

Yeah, but did BMW experience this growth because of his design or in spite of his design? Discuss.

That's a tough one, I wish I could go back in time and be a fly on the wall in the design wings of BMW. I do believe that some really good looking cars were made during his time. I also assume that he had very little to do with the actual 'designing' but much more to do with the overall vision.

I know someone (thru a mutual friend) who worked as a designer for Rolls Royce on the Phantom project. I personally think the Phantom is the nicest RR in years. Did Bangle allow that design to see the light of day? Probably. The Z8 is another beauty IMHO, it's timeless. It took some time for me to really appreciate the 6 series but I think it is also a good looking car. I'm still not a fan of the 5 or 7 series, I still believe that the previous generations (e39 & e38) were much better looking cars. With that said I do believe the new 7 is heading in the right direction.

The growth that BMW saw, had just as much to do with his design vision as it did with great engineering and relentless marketing. I'm actually kind of sad to see him go.

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2008 e92 335i Step | Is Gone - It was fun but not meant to be | M3 - Cancelled | 135 Ordered

I think what he did for automotive design is magnificent. New directions have been forged, people are slowly beginning to appreciate these and in the process he has only strengthened BMW brand identity. The way he incorporated traditional motifs with contemporary appearance while avoiding any retrospective twaddle is wonderful.

A shame for BMW perhaps, but no doubt time for this visionary to move forward. An up.

And as you can see NONE of the BMW model's exterior hasn't been penned by Chris Bangle!!! EVER! He was just a chief / a manager. Not an actuall designer. And all the production designs has been selected & chosen by the BMW AG Board of Directors, and not by Bangle himself.

Reading the multiple comments...I'm surprised how people think one man can design a complex machine like a car by himself.

Let's not forget that behind each BMW lies dozens of designers who all put their own touch the the final product. Yes, the head of a design team have to take decisions but the final product is the result of multiple talented people who jointed forces to create the ultimate driving machine. Let's not forget those talents behind the spotlight that, most of the time, bring design ideas that head of design people won't hesitate to take the credit for.

Bangle brought it's goods and bads to BMW...But the company doesn't rely on the talent of one man.

And as you can see NONE of the BMW model's exterior hasn't been penned by Chris Bangle!!! EVER! He was just a chief / a manager. Not an actuall designer. And all the production designs has been selected & chosen by the BMW AG Board of Directors, and not by Bangle himself.

That's what it sounded like. People usually "make it" in their mid 30's, reach some sort of culmination by 40's. Look at the current CEO of GE (he got his job at 46), the President, etc. By 52, Bangle could run BMW, or as this panned-out, not, and be gone.

In the end we know BMW will build above-avg. driving cars. Whether or not we like the way they look is up to us. It's not something to worry about.

He may have been with BMW when the E46 was released but I believe others were responsible for the E46 design. By the time he arrived, the E46 had already been finished and Bangle was starting on future models.

They said that the new BMW designs will "grow on you". I get worried when I have growths on me. Anyway, I still like the older models much better than the new with one exception -- the Z4 coupe is gorgeous.

Now that he's leaving, I have a few questions. Who are we going to pick on? Will we need to replace the term "Bangled" with "Hooydonked"? And how is that pronounced? Hoy-donk? Hoo-donk? Hoo-ee-donk? Hoe-donk? (Forgive me for Bangling his name. I'm still in shock from the news.)

In much the same way that others are responsible for the designs of the current cars. I have an article - a very old article - in which Bangles speaks of his involvement in the development of the E46 platform. It's in an old BMW magazine. I'll have to pull out all of my publications to find the article and quote specifics verbatim.

......To have been "Bangled" has always been an incorrect term. "Hooydonked" would have been factually correct.

Reading the multiple comments...I'm surprised how people think one man can design a complex machine like a car by himself.

Let's not forget that behind each BMW lies dozens of designers who all put their own touch the the final product. Yes, the head of a design team have to take decisions but the final product is the result of multiple talented people who jointed forces to create the ultimate driving machine. Let's not forget those talents behind the spotlight that, most of the time, bring design ideas that head of design people won't hesitate to take the credit for.

Bangle brought it's goods and bads to BMW...But the company doesn't rely on the talent of one man.

He was the head of styling, not engineering, I think people realize the distinction.